The present invention relates to a side airbag device that unfolds and inflates an airbag from beside or near a vehicle occupant when an impact greater than a predetermined value is applied to the side of the vehicle body due to a collision at a side of the vehicle.
A typical side airbag device functions to absorb the impact applied to an occupant by unfolding and inflating an airbag when an impact greater than a predetermined value is applied to the side of the vehicle body. This protects the occupant's head and chest.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-114060 describes a side airbag device with an airbag that is unfolded and inflated from beside an occupant's chest and head upon a collision. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-329688 describes a side airbag device with an airbag that is unfolded and inflated from beside an occupant's head, chest, and abdomen and in front of the occupant's abdomen.
With the side airbag device of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-114060, the airbag is unfolded and inflated only from beside an occupant's head. With the side airbag device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-329688, the airbag is unfolded and inflated only from beside the occupant and in front of the occupant's abdomen. However, there are recent demands for a side airbag device with improved protection performance that protects the occupant's head when impact is applied toarrant the vehicle from a diagonally frontward direction.